Friday, November 30, 2012

"I'm not over that. It's not about compartmentalizing. It's about embracing all of it, accepting all of it. That moment, losing, happened once in the past six years. That moment happened to me like it was yesterday. The work I'm doing now, that's what makes me win my next fight... I don't take it and forget about it. You have to take it, let it fuel you, and make you a better fighter and person."

-UFC Lightweight Champion Ben Henderson talks to MMAJunkie.com about the loss to Anthony Pettis that still burns in his mind and drives him forward.

Penick's Analysis: Everyone needs something to latch onto, something that can motivate them to get whatever it is they need to get in life. For Henderson right now, that WEC loss to Pettis - complete with the insult-to-injury "Showtime Kick" that will never stop being a highlight - is one of those nagging things that he can't necessarily live down, but that he can turn to a positive. By not letting that consume him, but instead drive him to improve, he's gone on a hell of a run in the UFC. He hopes to continue that next weekend at UFC on Fox 5, and if he does that, along with a Pettis win over Donald Cerrone in January, he'll likely have a chance to avenge that defeat.

[Ben Henderson art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]

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